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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Bringing an Ape to a Gun Fight : EotD Report for the Apes

Last Friday we had a short night of gaming, just one game for me, and since I'd be facing the Somber Society, which has had a lot of games and so has a high rating, I used the Apes, since they were the only one of my four factions that was close in rating.

We rolled a straight up fracas, though there would be statues to search for artifacts for the campaign as normal.

Greystoke's Apes, under the guidance of Alphie, the uplifted ape, has continued to expand it's number,
Now having 3 pack masters under his control, along with 4 apes (wolves) and 4 people: 2 humans and 2 chimps ('wolfskins' for the lycan faction).

A few of the characters have had a stat increase, but I've tried to keep quality expansion minimal to go for numbers. I figure since they often have to spend a couple turns running across open ground, I'd better have some extra bodies out there. Three of the four 'people': Woodhouse, Maggie & Bartholomew have bows, and Pim will have one for the next outing too.

By comparison, the dreary fellows of the Somber Society have put their advancing into stats, skills and expensive powerful weapons.

The only way into this section of the city was down a narrow alley, so the apes surged forward like a tide.

The Gloom Squad came on from the opposite corner, and as soon as I poked my head out, I was being shot at from long distance with hunting rifles with scopes (which reduce the range by 1) making them very accurate, counting as medium range even from corner to corner. ouch!

Woodhouse tried to give covering fire, but not to much effect, as the majority of the apes ran as fast as they could across the street toward the cover of a walled courtyard. Maggie also opened fire and wounded the rival President! Clearly a week of bed rest did her no harm!

But the Edgar Alan Poe Bookclub and Rifle Appreciation Society returned fire. Percival Penguin's gun failed to fire, eliciting muffled guffaws from the others as they began a process which would bring down 4 of my party before I'd done much of anything to them. Ouch indeed.

Woodhouse did find a cache of artifacts but as he called out his good fortune he took a bullet to the leg!
Pim ran to his aid, but brave Woodhouse urged him to take the valuable goods back to Greystoke Manor, and that he would follow in due course.

One of the master Apes was wounded, but he continued on, making for the cover of the building's corner.
The rest of the apes made their way through the courtyard behind the safety of the walls before they'd spill out to rush the color-averse humans. Then Bartholomew boldly moved out to get a nearly impossible shot on the President and hit her! She went down, but unfortunately not out, she dragged herself behind the cotton bale.

The dirge procession took this opportunity to move up closer.

Alphie and his Apes run headlong into danger to join their fellows, an ape and master ape struggling in combat. One of the humans fell, but it wasn't enough.

Just when things started to swing the way of the apes, the crack of a rifle wounding Bartholomew gave them all pause. The apes looked to Alphie, to see what their Alpha would decide, as now half their number were out of action. Alphie wanted to continue the fight, knew it would be easy to dispatch these humans before them, but this would only clear the path for the guns still baring down on them. The safety of the apes came first, and with Pim already safely on his way with the artifacts, it was better they leave.

With a call the apes leaped and bounded off, back to Greystoke Manor.

A loss for the Apes, but a profitable one. No serious damage to the party and the added benefit of finding a supply of artifacts, which contained an amulet for +1 strength, which they are sure to put to good use!

The terrain was especially rough for this fight, more so with rolling opposite corners for deployment type.

There were two possible routes, both with a bit of cover, but likely 2-3 turns worth of crossing open ground.

The other choice I had would have been to try to make it behind the building to my left and go through the covered path through the building (can see it in the picture above). But this would have had more distance to cover in the beginning and give them a bottleneck to charge through. Splitting forces would likely have been a bigger problem. Sometimes you just have to hope you get to your goal, which enough did that they were a serious threat still, but losing enough of the weaker members caused a break check, which I rolled a 3 and that was that.

A good game! It would have been fun to continue for another turn and bring those brass gauntlets down!

Maybe next time :)

In the meantime, the Apes are concerned with the posture of the Dour Dandies, so bring you this service announcement, followed by a movie you might like (starting about 27min in) with the Somber Society's favorite musical artists, The Edgar Allan Poe Marching Band, playing the introduction fanfare.

The faction is now large enough, and the leader & another pack master ape with enough stat boosts that I'll be bringing in James Clayton to take over the faction and Alphie will be his packmaster ape again :)